If you’re a regular reader of the blog, you know the movies I typically review tend to be of the superhero or sci-fi variety. It shouldn’t be that big a surprise that I do like a few other genres as well, ones that are merely fiction and not total fantasy. And in theaters right now is a movie allowing me to indulge in something a bit different: Ocean’s 8. 

You’ve probably heard of Ocean’s 11, the remake (and its sequels) if not the classic original. If you’re not familiar, it’s a heist movie – the protagonist comes up with a plan, gathers a crew and attempts to pull off something big. That’s pretty much the plot of Ocean’s 8 as well. The twist is that the crew is all female (the leader being the sister of Danny, the lead in the previous movies), which actually does make a difference to the plot and feel of the film.

This is a good movie that, for me, took a little getting used to. As someone accustomed to seeing a lot of action and violence on the screen, this felt slow. But that’s intentional and it works because you need the build up to get the big payoff (well, more than one payoff… but I’m not going to spoil that). And unlike most similar movies with primarily male casts, there is no violence and no weapons – it’s pretty amazing. The “job” is a big one and how the crew comes together, plans it and executes each piece keeps you engrossed.

From the time this movie was announced there has been talk about the all-female cast (of course, not all of it has been positive). Yes, it’s not common, especially for this genre. But it works so well – and, yes, it does give the movie a different feel. Plus, the cast itself is pretty impressive and gives some great performances. There’s a line that sums up why there are no men on the crew (and takes a dig at the backlash female-led movies take): “A Him gets noticed, a Her gets ignored. And for once, we’d like to be ignored.” Just don’t ignore Ocean’s 8.